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from Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa by Manoah Hedge The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1906
Dr. William Marion Jarvis, of Rose Hill, now eighty-one years of age, is living a retired life, but was for years a successful and capable practitioner of medicine and a business man of well known ability. When the work of improvement and progress had scarcely been begun in Mahaska county he cast in his lot with its pioneer settlers, taking up his abode here in the spring of 1849. He is a native of Kentucky, having been born in Fleming county, February 16, 1825. His father, John Jarvis, was a native of Kentucky and was reared and married there, the lady of his choice being Elizabeth Cord, a native of the Blue Grass state. In the year 1822 the father removed to Parke county, Indiana, where he was well known as a business man, trader and farmer, and there he reared his family. In 1852 he came to Iowa, joining his son, Dr. Jarvis, in Mahaska county. The Doctor spent the days of his boyhood and youth in Parke county, had acquired his preliminary education in the public schools and, determining upon the practice of medicine as a life work, had prepared for this calling by study in Terre Haute and in Waveland, Indiana. He was a student in the office and under the direction of Dr. Pence, of Terre Haute and also assisted him in his practice He likewise studied under Dr. Ballard and Russell, of Waveland, Indiana. He did not have the opportunity of carrying out his plans of completing the college course, but through private reading and study he continually broadened his knowledge and promoted his efficiency as a practitioner. From Dr. Pence he learned effective methods of curing two diseases prevalent in pioneer communities- fever and ague and peritonitis. The latter was very bad owing to the fact that the people lived in claim cabins and the breaking of the prairie sod produced malaria and caused ague. Even as late as the year 1905, Dr. Jarvis received assurance of his effective professional work in those pioneer days from a woman who said that her father after suffering from the ague for a year obtained remedies from the Doctor which completely cured him, so that he was never again ill from that complaint. He was also successful in his treatment of various other diseases. In connection with his practice he engaged in the drug business in Indiana and in 1849, when still a young man, he came to Iowa, locating in White Oak township, Mahaska county, at old Rose Hill, where he entered upon the practice of medicine, his patronage coming to him from many miles around. Dr. Jarvis was married in this county, October 30, 1849, to Miss Frances Maria Bolles, who was born in Montville, Connecticut, December 15. 1826, a daughter of Reuben P. Bolles. The family were among the pioneer settlers of New England, coming to America from England about 1640. Reuben Bolles was reared in Connecticut and was married there to Frances Cornelia Baker, who was also descended from one of the early pioneer families of that state. Reuben Bolles, leaving New England, removed to New York and a year later went to Sandusky, Ohio where he resided until 1827. He then drove across the country to Iowa, locating first in Louisa county, and in 1844, coming to Mahaska county. Dr. Jarvis engaged in the dry-goods business at Rose Hill until 1849, when he snd others formed a company and with a number of teams started westward for California. The Doctor continued in the dry-goods business there and also bought land and developed three farms, one of two hundred and forty acres and an other of ninety acres. He also owned coal lands and operated in various active enterprises, helping to improve and upbuild the county. He was in active business until about 1894, when he puchased the property on which he now resides and has since rebuilt and remodeled the house, transforming it into a good residence. He has also planted an orchard which is just coming into bearing. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Jarvis were born the following children. Julius, a business man residing in Smith Center, Kansas, is married and has two children, Reuben P. and Charles. John P. is a telegraph operator living in Sedan, Kansas. Mrs. Jennie Jarvis Slocum, now a widow, is residing with her father and has three children, who were reared by their grandfather, Dr. Jarvis, and have now reached mature years. These are: Belina Slocum; Mrs. Lois Slocun, Wright, the wife of Dr. Wright, who is represented elsewhere in this work; and Mamie, one of the teachers in the schools of Rose Hill. Fannie Jarvis is the wife of Herbert Cox, of Oskaloosa. Dr. Jarvis was originally an old-line whig and assisted in organizing the republican party, supporting its first presidential candidate, John C. Fremont, He has served as justice of the peace for nine or ten years, has filled the office of supervisor and organized the Rose Hill postoffice, which was the second postoffice of the county. He acted as postmaster for many years and in every public position has discharged his duties with marked promptness and fidelity. He and his wife .are members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, which they joined soon after the organization of the church. Dr. Jarvis is one of the charter members of Oskaloosa lodge, I. 0. 0. F. Mrs. Jarvis has always been deeply and helpfully interested in the cause of temperance. She joined the Washingtonian Temperance Society in 1841 in Louisa county, Iowa, when fifteen years of age, and has never taken a drop of alcholic liquor except as a medicine since that time and since joining the Women's Christian Temperance ance Union in 1885 she has not used alcoholic remedies even as a medicine. She was converted to Christ and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian church in 1857 at old Rose Hill schoolhouse and the following year Dr. Jarvis vis also became a member of the church. Since that time they have been readers of their church paper, which was first published in St. Louis, Missouri, and is now published at Nashville, Tennessee. Mrs. Jarvis organized a Women's Christian Temperance Union at Rose Hill, February 5, 1885, and became a life member in 1895. She also belongs to the Rose Hill Missionary Society under the auspices of the Methodist church. Dr. Jarvis is also deeply interested in many movements for the intellectual and moral progress of his communty and no citizens of Rose Hill or this part of the county are held in higher respect than this worthy couple, who have now traveled far on life's journey, Dr. Jarvis having psssed the eighty-first milestone. Their mutual love and confidence has increased as the years have gone by and theirs has been an ideal marriage relation.
Past and Present of Mahaska County, Iowa
Mahaska County, Iowa Genealogy